NILDS DG Pushes for 50% Gender Parity as Internship Programme Produces Top Female Performers
NILDS DG Pushes for 50% Gender Parity as Internship Programme Produces Top Female Performers
By Matthew Eloyi
The Director-General of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Prof. Abubakar Suleiman, has urged policymakers to ensure gender parity across the country, stressing that equal opportunities for women are vital for rapid national development.
Suleiman made the call on Friday in Abuja during the closing ceremony of the Fifth NILDS Internship Programme on Legislative Drafting and the inauguration of the sixth batch of interns.
According to him, the Batch Five set comprised “very brilliant and exceptional interns,” with scores so close that four female participants emerged as first runners-up.
The DG revealed that Adesanwo Oluwaseun, Rufai Maryam, Alfa Talatu, and Oluwatoyin Ihinmikalu all scored 87 points, while Mr. Titus Bulus claimed the top spot with 88 points.
“Our girl-child should be given more placement in our society; all these ladies graduated from the university with either first class or second class upper honours,” Suleiman said.
“We are proud of them. If I have my way, I will not go by 35 per cent affirmative action but by 50 per cent. We in power and positions of authority should think deeply on how to ensure gender parity in our country. There is nothing a male child can do and a female child cannot do.”
Bulus, in an interview with journalists, described the past three months as “mind-blowing,” saying it was a long-awaited dream to pursue a career in legislative drafting.
“I found this platform, I made myself available and today, it is a game-changing moment for me; I have been deeply impacted on legislative practices and procedures,” he said.
“I am super excited. We are all best winners; however, one person had to be chosen at the end of the day and I am lucky to be chosen as the best. With the knowledge acquired here, Nigerians should expect robust legislations that will impact the lives of all citizens.”
One of the first runners-up, Miss Oluwatoyin Ihinmikalu, said the training exposed them to legislative drafting and the workings of the legislature, with emphasis on international treaties, penal codes, motions, and committee processes.
“We, the fifth batch of interns, are very grateful to the director-general of the institute; we hope to put into practice all we have learned at this training,” she said.
Earlier, the Coordinator of the programme, Dr. Shuaibu Danwanka, praised Suleiman for sustaining the initiative despite economic and budgetary constraints, describing his commitment to bridging manpower gaps in legislative drafting as both commendable and transformative for Nigeria’s legislative sector.
